Street and station indicator.



PATENTED FEB. 27, 1906.

D. A. HOLSBERGL STREET AND STATION INDICATOR.

APPLIOATION FILED JAN. 25,1905.

2 SHEETS-SHEET 1.

'W/TNESSES,

.No. 818,895. 'PATBNTIID FEB. 27, 1906.

- D. A. HOLSBERG.

STREET AND STATION INDICATOR.

APPLICATION FILED JAN.25.1905.

2 SHEETS-SHEET 2.

UNITED STATES,

PATENT OFFICE.

DEAN A. HOLSBERG, OF SAN JOSE, CALIFORNIA, ASSIGNOR F ONEHALF TO FRANK CHEEK, OFSAN JOSRLCALIFORNIA.

' Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Feb. 2'7, 1906.

Application filed January 25,1905. Eerie-1.1%. 242,646.

To all whom it may concern.-

Be it known that I, DEAN A. HOLSBERG, a citizen of the United States, residing at San Jose, in the county of Santa Clara and State of California, have invented new and useful Improvements in Street and Station Indicators, of which the following is a specification.

My invention relates to an apparatus which is designed to indicate streets, stations, or other points, so that passengers within a car or vehicle may beinformed of the position of'the car from time to time.

It consists in the combination and arrangement of parts and in details of construction,

which will be more fully explained by reference to the accompanying drawings, in

' whichnames maybe plai y shown.

Figure 1 is afront elevationof my indicator with cover removed. Fig. 2 is a sectional plan view of same. I Fig. 3 is a section of disk, showing method of removing cards. Fig. 4 is a partial section of box, showing stops'for cards. Fig. 5 is a'transverse sec tion through end of box, showing mechanism,but with cards removed. Fig.- 6 is a side elevation of contact device. Fig. 7 is an end elevation of same. Fig. 8 is a section through cover, showing spring-stop and roller.

For convenience of passengers in case of cars which are alternately runwithone end or the other forward, as where cars are not turned at the end of the run, I have designed to employ two of my devices, one being-located at each end of the car.

As shown in the drawings, A is a suitable casing having an open front, which is preferably protected by glass or other transparent covering. VVithrn this casing is fixed a suitable framework or standards 2, and these support the journals of a horizontal shaft upon the ends of which are mounted disks 3 and 4. Near the periphery of these disks are made small holes, which are adapted to receive the pins 5 of the leaves or plates 6. These leaves or plates are sufliciently rigid and have a surface 11 on which the required The leaves have their pivots near-one edge, so that when released they may fall by gravitation and han from these pivots.

The disksmay be bf any suitable diaineter adapted to carryas many of the indicatingleaves as may be required for the length of the run. Thus if employed in a street-car there would be one of these leaves for each street or point which it-is desired to indicate. In the normal position of the apparatus those leaves which are below the center of the disks will normally han in vertical planes, and as the disks are revo ved, so that the leaves are carriedup on the rear side, they will radually fall and lie against each other until they reach a point near the front,where they pass the vertical plane, when they will fall forward. The leaves that thus fall forward con tact against arms or-stops 6, which are here shown as fixed to the upper part of the case. In this position the back of a leaf which is thus held will be'shown, and upon this back ma be placed advertisin or other matter, if diasired. As soon as t e leaf passes the retaining-stops it will drop by gravitation and hang in a vertical position, so that the opposite side of the leaf will be exposed, and upon this is marked the street or other infor- In oroted therein, the shaft upon which the car-- rier is supported is extended sufiiciently and has fixed to its end a pinion '2. This pinion is engaged by a gear-Wheel 8, the shaft of which is also journaled in the standards.

In conjunctionwith the gear-wheci is a eylindrical' shell 9,containing a spring one end of which is fixed to the shell and the other to the shaft, which is loosely turnable within the shell and gear. By means of a pawl and ratchet, as at 10, the shaft is held at any desired point When'the spring has been wound up, so that the tension of the spring acts between the stationary shaft and the interior of the drum, the tendency being to turn the drum whenever released, and through it the gear and pinion to turn the carrier.

The spring ma be wound up from time to time by means 0 a crank or equivalent turning device adapted to engage the end of the shaft and to turn it until the spring has been wound, when the pawl and ratchet at 10 will hold it in that position.

In order to allow the carrier to be turned by the action of the s ring, one of the'disks,

as 3, has teeth forme 'upon or carried by it, as shown at3 and these are engaged by a double-acting pawl 11, fixed to a journalshaft 2, as shown. Upon this shaft is mounted an arm 13, one end of which carries an armature 14, and the other end is connected with a spring or springs, as at 1'5, bywhich it is normally drawn down, and the armature is raised so that it is out of contact with the poles of the electromagnet 16. When this electromagnet is energized, the armature will be drawn down to the poles and the shaft carrying the double pawl will be rotated, so as to tilt the pawl suffici'ently to release one of the teeth 3. and allow the carrier to be moved forward by the action of the previously-described spring. The other end of the pawl simultaneously engages a tooth of the carrierdisk to prevent its advancing more than one tooth, and this advance is suflicient to release one of the leaves from the stops which hold it up. As the leaf passes the stops it drops, as before described, swinging into a position which will expose the name of the street or other; desired information.

The amount of movement of the armature is regulated by means of an adjustin -screw, as at 17, against which the rear end 0 the armature-carrying arm contacts whenthe armature is attracted, and the tension of the spring may be similarly regulated. Below the screw 17 is a screw 17, having a pin around which is coiled aspring 17 ing the screw 17 the pin is lowered or raised, thus increasing or decreasing the distance between the end of the pin and the oint of the screw 17 and the consequent amp itude of vibration of the armature.

In order to energize the armature at the proper time, this device being a plied to elec trically-operated cars, I have S}; lowing structure: At a suitable oint on the electrical conductor which furnis es power to the motor of the car is fixed one member of a co tact device, and that part of the car through which the current is carried to the motor carries the other member of this contact device. These devices are fixed at any desired point with relation to the street or point to be indicated, so that when the car reaches this point the circuit will be completed, and the current momentarily passin through the contact device will be passe through the electromagnet and ener ize it to move the carrier and expose anot er leaf. This mechanism will be varied to suit the character of the conductor. Thus it may be applied to a third-rail apparatus or to an overhead trolley.

For purposes of illustration I have here shown the ap aratus as o erated by means of an overhead trolley. Tlie trolley-wire has suspended from it by any suitable means an arm or shoe 18, which stands lengthwise and parallel with the direction of the wire. The trolley-pole 19, which is illustrated in the present case,has fixed to it an elastic arm 20, with'a roller 21 in the end contiguous to the trolley-wheel 22 and in line with the shoe 18,

By turn own the folso thatwhen the trolley has reached the if point contiguous to this shoe the roller 21 will contact with the shoe, and thus transmit the electrical current through the trolley-pole, and by means of a connecting-wire, as shown at 23, the current is transmitted through the electromagnet for a sufficient time to enerize it and operate the carrier, as previously lescribed.

a In order to regulate the current taken from the trolley-wire and give it the required character for passing through the electromagnet, I introduce one or more incandescent lamps in the circuit, as at 25. I have here shown also a fuse, asat 26, introduced into the circuit to prevent accidents in case of a high-tension current.

In order to prevent the swinging of the leaves after they have dropped into position I and to hold them in, place, I have shown springs, as 27, fixed at the lower part of the opening where the leaves are exposed, so-that as the leaf drops by gravitation its lower edge swin s past the ends of these springs sufli cientIy to be retained and prevent them from further swinging. 28 represents rollers also located at the lower part of this opening and so placed that the edges of the leaves will move freely and without undue friction. As shown in the present case, these leaves may be formed of heavy cardboard having a metal binding along each of their edges. I

In order to remove or replace the cards or leaves, I have shown the perforations in the disk 4 as passing entirely through the disk, and upon the outer. side of the. disk is a turnable ring 4*, one point. When this ring is turned, so that its unperforated surface registers with the holes inthe disk, it forms a stop to prevent the ends of the pins from being pushed throu h suffioiently to disengage the; pins from t e opposite disk 3; but if it IS desired to remove either of the cards or leaves for any purpose the ring is turned until the hole in it coincides with the pin of the card to be removed. The card is enough shorter than the distance between the disks to allow of a little play, and at the end conti cm to the disk 4 the space is sufiicient to a low the card to be moved in that direction, the pin passing into the hole in the ring until the pin which enters the disk 3 is clear of the hole. It can then be withdrawn and moved until the pin which enters the disk 4 can also be withdrawn and the card removed. After replacing a card the ring is turned, so as to present an unperforated surface to all of the pins, and the cards loo I oluble disks mounted thereon and having per- I shaftand'having holes around the periphery to receive the pins, a ring turnably mounted upon the outer face of one of the disks, said ring forming a stop against which the ends of the pins contact and having a hole made through it to register with any of the pins and allow a card to be moved to disengage it from the disks.

2.. In a street or like indicator, a shaft rev- E oluble disks mounted thereon and having percards having forations around the periphery, a length less thanthe distance between the disks and pins projecting fromthe ends of the cards near one side so as to enter the perforations, a ring fitting and turnable against the outer face of one of the disks, said ring having a hole made through it adapted to register with the pin of any card whereby the latter may be introduced or removed.

3. In a street or like indicator, a shaft revforations in their peripheries, cards'having a length less than the distance between the disks and pins projecting from the ends of the cards near one side so asto enter the perforations,a ring fitting and turnable against the outer face of one of the disks, said ring having a hole made through it adapted to register with the pin of any card whereby the latter may be introduced or removed, stops against which the upper edges of the cards contact during the forward movement of the cards, an intermittently-operating mechanism by which the cards are disengaged singly from the stops and allowed to swmg about the pivots into a pendent position.

4. In a street or like indicator, a shaft revoluble disks mounted thereon and having perforations in their peripheries, cards having a 9 length less than the distance between the disks and having pins projecting from their ends near one side and adapted to enter the perforations, a ring fitting and turnable against the outer face of one of the disks and having a hole adapted to register with the 1 pin of any card whereby the latter may be introduced or removed, stops against which the cards contact in their revolution toward the I front and after passing the vertical plane, inf termittently-acting mechanism for disengaging the cards singly from the stops to allow them to swing into'a pendent position, and spring-latches over which the lower edges of the cards pass and by which they are retained in place.

5. In a street or like indicator, a carrier comprising horiz0ntallyjournaled disks hav ing holes around their peripheries, cards with pins entering and loosely turnable .in the holes, mechanism for intermittently rotating the disks, stops against which the cards contact after passing the vertical plane from the l top of the carrier, said cards being individually released by each forward movement of the carrier, elastic latches engaging the lower edges of the cards as. they fall into a pendent position, and rollers against which these edges move when passing downward.

In testimony whereof I have hereunto set my hand in presence of two subscribing witnesses.

DEAN A. HOLSBERG.

Witnesses: V

EDWIN L. SIMPKINS, G. C. DE ZALDo. 

